


Gone For Far Too Long

by Pjkal



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pjkal/pseuds/Pjkal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I felt like writing a RinHaru fanfic (though I'm normally a MakoHaru die hard fan) - based on the song "I Thought I Lost You" from the Disney Film "Bolt".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rin PoV

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy my crappy writing.
> 
> **** The beginning of the story starts out as Rin, then switches to Haru's POV ****
> 
> Sorry if my spacing is strange, my iPad hates this website. I'm traveling and don't have a computer right now.
> 
> I have a tumblr! Goddessnesss.tumblr.com

I left for Australia nearly two months after preparation, receiving a letter from my old swim team wanting to recruit me (again) and a side note from my host family saying they wanted to see me. As much as I wanted I go see my old friends and family, I was leaving my home town again. My family, friends and boyfriend. Haruka Nanase has been the love of my life since I was a child - and thanks to Sousuke and Makoto, we had finally gotten together... But now that I'm leaving, I told Haru that we needed to put our relationship on hold.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered, the night before my flight, sitting on Haru's bed. He stared at me with those bright blue eyes, looking heart broken. "Rin-" I held my hand up, "Look, I don't want to pause anything with you. I love you... You know that. But I don't want to tie you don't while I am gone. When I come back home, if you still want, we can be together." I felt tears sting my eyes, seeing how upset Haru was becoming, though he wouldn't say anything. "...Okay." He finally replied after a few minutes of silence, reaching over and whipping the tears from my cheeks. "Don't be sad. I want you to enjoy Australia... But I promise you, I will wait for you. Or I will go to you in Australia, if that's what it takes. Besides, what is six months to us anyway?"

I felt a smile sneak up on my face as Haru kissed my cheek, then ended up laying under heap of blankets, holding Haru as he kissed me on the parts of my neck that were ticklish. He knew me better than I knew myself, sometimes. I couldn't stop my laughing as he stopped and hugged me, holding my close. "You believe me about us, right?" I knew Haru meant what he said, being a person of his word - knowing him being one to commit and stick to something for years, we both knew he was very serious. "I promise I will come back to you, then, Haru. Regardless of what happens." I kissed him and sighed sadly. He took something out of his pocket, presenting it to me. It was a little necklace with a dolphin charm on it. "It matches mine." He motioned to his neck, which had a necklace with a shark charm on it. "So you don't forget..." He stopped himself, though I knew he was going to say 'me'. I took his hands and smiled, "Can you put it on for me?" He did so happily, silently content. We lay down side by side, enjoying our last night - savoring the last few hours together.

 

At the airport the next morning, my friends all joined my mother and sister to see me off. Nagisa, Momo, Ai and Rei all hugged my tightly and wishing me well. Makoto and I shook hands and exchanged kind words, Sousuke and I fist bumped. My mom and sister both got teary eyed as I hugged them and wished them well, promising to keep in touch. Finally, I got to Haru - pausing as tears starting stinging my eyes (as expected). I hugged him, he wasn't so emotional and affectionate in the presence of others. However, he hugged me back and kissed my cheek. "Don't cry, Rin. We will all be waiting for you when you get back." He whispered as I forced myself to pull away to get in line for the plane's gate. I grabbed my bags, wishing them all well and said goodbyes before disappearing into line to the gate. The last thing I saw before getting on the plane was Haru finally dropping the cold expression and disappearing off to the bathroom, Makoto and Nagisa in hot pursuit to see what was wrong with him. I sighed, clutching onto my necklace and biting my lip. "I'll be back soon, Haru..." I muttered as I sat down in my seat and the plane's doors shut.

\--

I arrived in Australia late at night, finding my host mother there waiting for me. I would be staying with them for a few days before I left for swim camp. "Rin! How are you, darling?" Lori asked as I hugged her happily before we made our way to baggage claim. "I'm good, Lori. Just tired. Where is Russell?" She and I walked down the stairs and out of the gate ports, hustling ahead of the crowd. "He is at home preparing dinner. He wanted to come, but I knew you would be hungry." We found my bags, weaseled our way through a ton of people, and jumped in the car - then sped off towards their home.

"So, how is Haruka? I heard you two started dating." She grinned at me, but I couldn't bring myself to smile back. The flight here had been tough, trying not to cry or change my mind about staying so long. "What is it?" Lori asked as I sighed, "Well since I am going to be gone for so long, we decided to take a break..." I looked at her sadly, "I miss him already.."

She took my hand and squeezed it, "Well you're always welcome to use the computer to skype him or something." She smiled, "I know it is hard, but once you're done here, you will have a lot ahead of you and him to go back home to." I smiled back, "Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Lori."

-

The few days I spent with Russell and Lori were excellent, they were still as happy and adventurous as ever, having recently took a trip to the States, they were still traveling as often as they could. I left their house after a tearful goodbye (on Lori's part, Russell and I put on a brave face in front of her), taking a bus to Sydney to go to my camp. Many of my old classmates and swim camp friends were there - helping me settle in and such. So far, I had (somewhat) successfully distracted myself from my aching heart.

After a month of practice with the guys, someone finally asked me about him. My heart dropped as the group of eight guys looked over at me curiously. "Yeah, my boyfriend is back home... And I miss him a lot. Being overseas kind of sucks, even though I like being with you guys, it's hard being far." One of my friends, Nick, pat my back and grinned. "Don't worry, mate! We will keep you busy and you can get in shape for him. How about it, Matsuoka?" I nodded, "Yeah.. You're right."

I knew that as practice progressed that I wouldn't have a lot of time to call Haru, which made me feel guilty. I barely had time to myself- team parties, practices, trips out, and meetings - calling anyone seemed pretty much impossible.

As I would sit in practice early in the morning, the pool still opening up, as I sat on the bleachers, I would take my necklace off - kissing the dolphin charm for good luck before putting it into my swim bag and getting ready to start.

"Alright ladies! Get ready for it. Let's start this off. 200 Free! Practice your dolphin kick - 100 fly kick. 50 Breast - do them easy and last lap sprints. Now go get in that water! I will give you your sets after your warm ups."

I snapped my goggles, stepping up onto the block, getting into start position. I took a deep breath and waited. "Here's to you, Nanase."

Ready?

Set..

_Beep!_


	2. Haru PoV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching to Haru's point of view. This story isn't going to be long, so it's why it time skips a bit.
> 
> Thank you for reading, I appreciate it!

It had been nearly five months since Rin left and coping with losing your boyfriend to Australia was not an easy task. I had lost him to that damn country one too many times. He had started out by calling once or twice every week. Then it slowed down to once every other week... Now I'm lucky if he has the time to call me once a month. His training over there has been hard work and he barely has time for talking anymore. Makoto comes over to distract me by taking me outside into the real world. Nagisa and Rei stop by after school when they have the chance, trying to cheer me up. I've got to admit, I mope a little too much, but I think it's better to mope and get over it then to pretend it didn't happen. Last time I checked in with him had been on my birthday, it was quick and he was so busy. It has nearly been two months now and it was making me worry more than usual.

August 1st, I got a phone call from his mother telling me that Rin had been hospitalized. He got injured in swimming and he would have to extend his stay for at least another few months. I then got a call from Rin, it was brief and short.

"Hey, Haru..."

"Rin! I heard you got hurt, are you okay...?"

A soft, sleepy chuckle. "Not really.. I just will have to stay overseas for a while. Hurt myself pretty badly.. I'm on some crazy... medication right now and.. I want to sleep. But I just wanted to check in with you... I... Miss you.."

"Wait, you have to go now?" Silence. "Rin?"

The line ended and panic swelled in my gut, Rin had no real family overseas and his family couldn't make it over due to work and school... And the lack of money since they had their extra money going into his medical bills. I picked up the phone and dialed Makoto's number.

"Hey, Haru-!"

"Makoto," I interrupted, "I need to go to Australia. Tomorrow, we need to get together and plan a trip. Tell Nagisa and Rei. I need to pack."

"Huh?! Australia?! What's going on?" I sighed and adjusted my cell phone as I sat on the floor, pulling out my suitcase from under my bed. "I need to go to Rin. He got hurt and has to stay for a few months in the hospital... He's alone and I am going."

Makoto chuckled softly, "Determined and loyal as always, Haru. Alright, tomorrow I will get the guys together. Make sure you pack everything you need. And Haru?"

"What?" "You had better kiss that stupid Matsuoka even if people are watching. I know you regret not doing so at the airport, so now is your time to make it up. Okay?"

"Yeah, Makoto. Good night. See you tomorrow." After I hung up with him, I packed all my stuff into my suitcase and held tightly onto my necklace, bringing the charm up to my lips. I was determined to bring Rin home, 6 months was too much and I refused to let him go away again without me.

-

Everyone showed up at my house around 10:30, Makoto brought muffins and Rei brought tea. Nagisa always had donuts and I made a breakfast platter for them so we all enjoyed a nice breakfast together.

"So, Haru-chan! I heard you're going to Australia to go get your boyfriend." Nagisa giggled, "How romantic, right, Rei-chan?"

Rei nodded, "A noble pursuit, Haruka-Senpai. However, I don't know if you should travel there alone, especially since your English is pretty much nonexistent." He looked at the others who nodded in agreement.

"I don't care, I want to go get Rin." I looked at Rei, "Don't you speak and understand English enough to get by? Maybe you can go with me." Makoto nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. Haru shouldn't go alone and I think it would be a nice trip-"

"I want to go, if my Rei-chan is going!" Nagisa chimed in, looking at me, "Pleeeeeease, Haru-chan?"

Makoto and Rei looked at me and I sighed, nodding. "Sure. Do you want to come, Makoto?" Makoto shook his head, "I can't, my parents are going out of town for a while and I have to watch the little ones. But you guys will have fun in my place, right?" Nagisa agreed happily and we all huddled around Rei's laptop, looking up the information for flights, hotel reservations, etc.

 

After lots of discussion, persuading their parents and figuring out finances - Makoto booked our last minute flight into Sydney for a week later - having to get Visa's and all of that. Preparing was easy, waiting was the hardest part.

 

-

Eventually the week passed and the three of us met up at Makoto's - since he was going to drive us to the airport. We shoved all our bags into the back of his car, said our goodbyes to our other friends (Momo, Ai and Sousuke gave me a card to bring Rin) and drove off to the airport. Checking in and going through all of the crap with the baggage was frustrating, but it passed. Makoto was happy to help us out as we shifted through security and found out where our terminal was. Nagisa stocked up on snacks, Rei bought a few magazines and Makoto split a coffee with me as we waited for the plane.

"Hey, Haru... Are you okay? You seem worried." He looked at me, being able to read me like a book. "I'm... Just wanting to see Rin. That's all. Don't get worked up, Makoto." He nodded, patting my hand, "Alright. I just wanted to check. You know that you're like my brother, I worry." I smiled weakly, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

It was finally time for us to board the plane, Nagisa ended up buying a small purse to shove all his snacks in and bickered with a flight attendant so he would be able to take it all onto the plane with him. Rei apologized to her and I just sighed, this couple was so predictable. We all took turns hugging Makoto and wishing him well as we were standing in line to get onto the plane. We shuffled into the plane and found our seats in the way back (practically the toilets) and sat in a row.

I sat by the window, staring at the wing of the plane. Nagisa sat beside me, though he was too busy sharing snacks with his boyfriend to care about the outside of the plane. I was wondering what Rin was up to - no one had heard back from him and I was determined to figure out where he was. Our rag tag search team was ready to get to Sydney and find him. Rei and Nagisa eventually settled down after we took off - they both started studying from Rei's English note books. I sighed, watching as my breath fogged the window - I drew a few fish on the window. I placed my necklace onto the window and traced it. In a few hours, my search would start and I couldn't bring myself to sleep.

"Good night, Haru-chan," Nagisa whispered, "don't worry about Rin-chan, we will find him."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know... Thanks Nagisa. Good night."


	3. (Still) Haru's PoV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing. I'm on a roll and want to post before I forget.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments or what ever you desire. Thanks for reading!

We landed in Sydney early in the morning, hustling and blustering through the chaos of the airport. Rei managed to help us find our bags and get us out to the shuttle we were supposed to take to our rental car, then with our car - to our hotel. I called Makoto so he had tabs on us as we made our way to our hotel - he was at home trying to get information on Rin's whereabouts from the Matsuoka's. Eventually, we got to our stop, stumbling into the giant lobby. Rei got us checked in while Nagisa was busy eating mints from the front desk. We had two rooms that connected, Rei and Nagisa split one room while I had the other. We settled in, took naps and woke up to work on plans.

Back home, Makoto was working with Gou (while her mother was out) to figure out which hospital Rin was in. Rei, Nagisa and I cracked out a map and started circling places that we thought we had better check regardless. The city was huge compared to our home and we knew we had better have some sort of game plan. I tried texting Rin again with no response once again - though Makoto had informed me he had recently gone into surgery, I thought he might be conscious sometime soon.

"Okay, Haru-Senpai. This is your expedition, so where do you think we should start?" Rei asked as we stared at all the places we circled. "Well, shouldn't we try finding his swim camp first?" Nagisa chimed in. "Yes. We can find them and see what's going on. We shouldn't split up during this, since Nagisa and my English is horrible." They both nodded in agreement and we decided to go to the swim camp first. We figured out the pool times and head out towards the pool.

We got there 20 minutes before closing, we rushed towards the gate - seeing a guy our age closing up. "Excuse me!" Nagisa called out - catching the guys attention. "Huh?" We stopped in front of him, looking at him curiously. "Um.. The swim camp that swims here, who runs that?" Rei asked, though his words were coming out properly, we were afraid his accent might be too strong. I couldn't really tell, though. My English was (and still is) shit.

"Oh! Well coach went home for the day, but I am a part of it. Is there something you need?" The guy replied as he locked up the gate. "Yes. Umm.." Rei paused, formulating his words, "We have a friend on your team and we need to find him." It took the guy a minute to put our words together. "Ah okay. What's the guys name?"

"Rin Matsuoka." I replied, startling the guy who didn't seem to realize my presence. "Oh! Matsuoka... Well we haven't heard from him after the accident, coach is the only one who checks on him since most of his team left back to their homes. Heard he needed surgery, messed up his ribs up pretty badly - messed up a leg too, I think. He fell slipped on the block, smacked it then fell on the deck. Not a good day." Rei translated for us what he could, then looked at the guy again. "Do you have any idea which hospital he might be in?"

"Try the two main ones, mate. I wish I could help more, but I don't have any more insight on the matter. Good luck though." Rei translated once again, then smiled, "Thank you for your help." He told us more information as we headed to the car. I sat in the back, registering the information as Nagisa helped Rei with the map, while Rei drove.

"Sounds like Rin-chan hurt himself pretty badly. I didn't know him to be so clumsy." Nagisa said, starting the conversation we all wanted to have. "I suppose he broke bones, probably ribs and punctured something. The block and cement are two hard blows. Maybe he hurt a leg too.." Rei replied, thinking about it as he turned off the highway towards our first mark. It took all three of us to figure out parking. Eventually we parked and made our way to the main desk - who directed us to someone and that person made us run around creation to finally find answers. Which was: Rin wasn't at this hospital.

Nagisa nearly jumped over the desk and strangled the person - it took us over half an hour to get a no and he was hungry. Rei grabbed him, placing a pastry in his mouth before he could scream - and we all left a little disappointed. We decided that we seriously needed sleep so we headed back to the hotel and crashed. Nagisa and Rei ended up sleeping on the extra bed in my room instead of going to their room - which I didn't mind. I checked my phone one last time before falling asleep - trying to control the extreme disappointment that washed over me.

\--

We ended up traveling to four different hospital/medical centers within the next three days (we had to take one day to relax and acclimate to the time change), each having us jump through hoops just to get no's - which annoyed everyone. On our last trip, I could have sworn I had seen Rin - wishful thinking and crushed hopes were getting to me. In order to make it up to the guys and to distract myself, I went to the supermarket and bought a bunch of ingredients - then came back to the hotel and cooked for them. They happily ate my food (more like Nagisa eating half of what I made - leaving Rei and I to ration out the other half) and we half heartedly discussed a game plan. We decided to hit the last major hospital and if that wasn't successful, we would have to call Makoto to update us. He and Gou had no real luck finding out where Rin was so we hadn't been able to find any real clues yet.

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we set out for our final expedition before an actual vacation day. We all needed a break and I promised Nagisa a beach day. I clutched my necklace's charm and silently begged to every god I knew to give us good luck - I almost felt like giving up after constantly getting no. It took us a while to get to the hospital - finally getting the hang of the hospital parking and knowing what all the signs meant by now, we were able to find the directory we needed.

Rei started speaking to the lady at the desk as Nagisa and I waited patiently, watching them converse. Rei waved us over with a wide eyed look. "She says he is here... But he is in physical therapy at another facility. If we come back in 2 hours, he should be back." My eyes widened and I had to blink to stop the stinging. I refused to cry, but the relief should have been obvious on my face. Rei thanked the woman after getting all the information and Nagisa called Makoto to give him the good news. I sat, pretty much shell shocked and stared at my necklace. Finally, I was going to see Rin.

We all decided to go to the park close by, all of our spirits were high and Nagisa couldn't stop smiling... Honestly, neither could I. "Aww, Haru-chan! You look so happy!" Nagisa beamed as he hugged onto my arm as we took a stroll around the perimeter of the park. Rei nodded, "I'm excited to Rin, as well. He has been gone too long." I nodded, "He has. Hopefully we can bring him home soon."

I ended up sitting by a water fountain as Rei and Nagisa walked together, hand in hand and totally lost in each other. Someone could have murdered me and they probably wouldn't have even noticed. I was happy they had each other, I always wanted my friends to end up happy and they were a perfect fit for one another. The water fountain's cold mist sprayed the back of my shirt and I stared at the water, losing myself in imagination. I saw Rin here, remembering when he took me to this park a few years ago. I held my hand out to the water and touched it lightly, I couldn't help but smile and finally I let a few tears leak down my face. "I finally found you... I can't wait to see you, Rin..." I muttered before I heard Nagisa and Rei walking over. I flicked some water onto my face so my tears weren't noticeable.

"It's time to go, Haruka-Senpai." Rei said, offering me a hand. I took it and stood up, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Alright, let's go." Nagisa pat my back, trying to reassure me and hugged my arm again. Rei smiled as we walked to the car, shuffling in. I was lost in my last conversation with Rin as we drove back - trying to think of what to say. "Don't think about what you think you need to say, Haru-chan. Just listen to your heart and it will work out, I promise!" Nagisa beamed, ever the optimistic, childlike friend - I was glad I had him around to encourage me.

After checking in with the lady, we all got into the elevator and Rei clicked the button for floor 6. I had a death grip on my necklace and Nagisa had my other hand. Rei pat my back reassuringly - they were currently the only thing stopping me from chickening out.

 _Ding_!

The elevator doors open and I step out of the elevator.

_Room 615 - Rin Matsuoka_

We made our way past the desk, down the long hallway and to the big wooden door. My hand was shaking as I reached for the handle. Rei and Nagisa stood behind me, urging me forward silently. I finally grabbed the handle and opened the door.

"Rin..."


End file.
